Transylvania to host digital art and music festival Sept. 16 and 17; international, national, regional and local artists and musicians will participate; free and open to the public

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University is hosting the Studio 300 Digital Art and Music Festival, Kentucky’s first such festival, on Sept. 16 and 17. The festival, which gets its name from Transylvania’s 300 North Broadway address, explores creative manifestations of technology through concerts and exhibitions of digital art and music. Over two days, Studio 300 will feature over 30 different stage performances and offer 33 art installations, interactive pieces and video/sound works by artists and musicians from around the world. All events are free and open to the public.

Timothy Polashek, Transylvania music professor and Studio 300 director, writes in a variety of media and styles, including vocal, instrumental, electro-acoustic music, text/sound compositions and interactive performance systems. His music has been performed throughout the United States and abroad.

“As a composer of computer music, I'm always looking for innovative ways to use and develop technologies for artistic purposes,” Polashek said. “I have had the privilege of participating in many national and international festivals of digital and interactive arts, and they're simply a lot of fun, and the public is really curious about these things, especially interactive works and multimedia works.

“Lexington is a great city with a vibrant arts scene, but there are not yet many groups working with technology. Transylvania has a long history of fostering innovations over the centuries, so it's natural that we invite these pioneering musicians, artists and technologists to campus.”

Polashek hopes to expand the festival into an annual event. “Because of our downtown location, we're hoping to pique the curiosity of Lexington, and to increase the scope of the festival over the years by collaborating with the many wonderful arts organizations and performing groups in Lexington and Kentucky.”

PERFORMANCES
The three main concerts are distinguished in waves, in homage of the electronic wave inspiring the digital festival. All are free and open to the public. All performances have intermissions.

EXHBITIONS
There are four separate on-site exhibition venues in which to experience digital art during the festival.

Morlan Gallery: “Unveiling the Painted Curtain: 21 C Interactive Art”
Three interactive and generative art works that will open during the festival and remain on display until Oct. 28. “Unveiling the Painted Curtain,” a reference to perhaps the very first interactive art (in the 5th century BC), features “Toys’ Opera” by Yoni Niv, Elad Shniderman, and Adam Kendall; “Higher Calling” by Tim Polashek and “Forgetfulness” by Ivica Ico Bukvic.
Open noon-10 p.m. on Sept. 16, including during the Lexington Gallery Hop, and noon-7:30 p.m. on Sept. 17. The exhibition will be open noon-5 p.m. weekdays Sept. 19-Oct. 28.

BYTE Gallery
A video display kiosk located in the Mitchell Fine Arts Building, on the lower level near the Rafskeller dining facility, presents 28 works submitted by professional composers and artists from across the globe, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. These 28 works were selected from a pool of over 125 entries.
Sept. 16-17, noon-10 p.m.

GUEST LECTURERS
Inventors, musicians and artists leading innovative applications of digital media will be on campus to discuss their latest projects.

Friday, Sept. 16, 10:30-11:30 a.m., composer James Caldwell will discuss and demonstrate interactive performance with Wii controllers in the Faculty Lounge of the Mitchell Fine Arts Center (MFA), in the Rafskeller dining facility.

Friday, Sept. 16, 2:30 p.m., artist Adam Kendall, a videoist and musician living and working in Brooklyn, will talk about and demonstrate his interactive multi-media installation “Toys’ Opera” in the Morlan Gallery.

Saturday, Sept. 17, 1-2 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge, inventor and composer Momilani Ramstrum will present a lecture titled “The MIDI Glove, PD, and Real time DSP,” followed by a demonstration using a MIDI glove that she designed and created for her vocal improvisations that she performs with live electronics.

For more information call Andrea Fisher, director of the Morlan Gallery at (859) 233-8142 or afisher@transy.edu or Timothy Polashek, Studio 300 director, at (859) 233-8254 or tpolashek@transy.edu.

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